Parametric X-rays from a polycrystalline target

Abstract A theoretical description of parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) from a nanocrystal powder target is presented in terms of the orientation distribution function (ODF). Two models of ODF resulting in the analytical solution for the PXR intensity distribution are used and the characteristic features of this distribution are considered. A promising estimate of the number of the emitted photons is obtained for the case of a nanodiamond powder target using the parameters of ASTA Facility at Fermilab. The PXR spectra from polycrystal and single crystal targets are compared. The application scenarios of PXR from nanocrystals are discussed.